Dear participants of the meeting!
Today, at the expanded meeting of the Government, we will address very relevant issues. The reason is well known to all of us. The world is currently undergoing fundamental changes. It is clear that global processes, first of all, will affect the economic situation in our country.
The era of mass digitalization, that is, a new technological era, has begun. The whole world lives in completely different conditions. We must be ready for it. We must keep up with the new technological situation. This is a very important factor that will increase the competitiveness of our country and pave the way for its sustainable development.
We will first assess the effectiveness of the work of the government and akims based on economic development indicators and the quality of life of citizens. What was the result of this work last year? Have the main tasks been accomplished? Today we will focus on these questions and discuss urgent issues that need to be resolved in the near future.
Dear civil servants!
Although the situation abroad is difficult, there are good results in our country. The country's economy is growing. But there are still many unresolved issues.
The main problem today is as follows.
Tariff disputes and sanctions confrontations in the world economy have become the norm. The consequences of this process can be devastating.
Climate-related positions are also undergoing major changes. In such a situation, it will be necessary to reconsider the methods of developing "green energy". On the one hand, the demand for traditional energy sources will remain. On the other hand, this will lead to instability in the prices of oil, gas and coal.
Cryptocurrencies and other digital assets have become widely used in the financial sector.
The development of artificial intelligence has come to the fore, and competition between technologically advanced countries will intensify. There are many challenges of the new era. To overcome them, we need an appropriate strategy.
I have already spoken about the specific direction of reforms and ways to implement them. The government must make difficult decisions to save the country's economy from stagnation and ensure sustainable development, and most importantly, implement them.
This is a job that can only be done by highly qualified and responsible civil servants. If we look at world experience, the effectiveness of the state apparatus is clearly visible in such difficult times.
The government, no matter how difficult it is, must move to mass savings and spend budget funds only on solving the most pressing issues. It is time to get to the bottom of it. We need to stop unnecessary spending and pull ourselves together.
Now let me dwell on the main tasks of the Government and other competent authorities in the near future.
FIRST. Diversification of the economy. Last year, 180 investment projects were implemented in the processing industry. The total cost of the projects is 1.3 trillion tenge. As a result, growth in this sector reached almost 6 percent. This is the highest figure in the last ten years. This good trend should be permanently established and maintained.
Another very important issue is attracting investment to the economy. According to UN data, Kazakhstan has achieved significant success in this indicator. However, there is no reason to be complacent.
The Investment Headquarters was created to urgently resolve the problems of investors. Thanks to this, bureaucratic obstacles and legal contradictions were eliminated, paving the way for the faster implementation of some projects. However, the main goal is not to solve only "individual" problems, but to improve the overall investment climate in the country.
Interdepartmental coordination in the development of investment projects still takes a lot of time. The government should get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy and work more quickly.
The reluctance of civil servants and their reluctance to take responsibility are the reasons for the excessively long approval procedures and decision-making. It is worth saying this openly.
The government should step up its work in the investment sector. There is no other way out. Otherwise, in a period of intense competition in the investment market, we will lag behind the times. It is clear that we need quality investment. Projects based on advanced technology and intended for the external market are usually offered by foreign investors. In the first 9 months of last year, $12.7 billion in foreign direct investment was attracted to our country. Although the indicator is encouraging, this is 36 percent less than in the reporting period of 2023.
The pace of attracting foreign direct investment has decreased in Aktobe, Almaty, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan regions and Almaty city. And the decrease in private investment is being compensated for at the expense of the budget. But only today it was announced that the development budget is limited. It is only 8 percent of the gross domestic product. Reimbursing investment projects at the expense of the budget can only give short-term results. We must understand this.
You know that there is a budget deficit now. Therefore, it is worth considering the issue of providing additional benefits to responsible investors who bring high-quality investment.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/zhetysu-oblysy/press/news/details/926245